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Javier Aguirre has been saying for a while that the key to the Mexican team’s success at the World Cup is that they are a family. It seems this family is on a historic journey.
Mateo Chavez and Julian Quinones scored in six minutes early in the second half, and Mexico beat the Czech Republic 3-0 on Wednesday to win its three World Cup group stage matches for the first time.
Chávez, 22, playing in his first World Cup, opened the scoring in the 55th minute and Quiñones scored his second goal of the tournament in the 61st. Alvaro Fidalgo added a goal in stoppage time.
“It was something very beautiful and I will take it with me to the grave,” Chávez said of his goal. “I imagined it several times; I dreamed of it.”
Mexico’s best performance in the group stage was two wins and a draw, achieved in 1986 and 2002, both featuring Javier Aguirre, the former as a midfielder and the latter as coach of El Tri. Aguirre is back as coach this year, his third term in charge of the national team.
After dominating Group A, Mexico will play again on Tuesday at the Estadio Azteca in the round of 16 against an opponent to be determined.
“Now comes the knockout stage; statistics and data don’t matter. We are accomplishing things, but what lies ahead is what matters,” Aguirre said. “Neither the players nor I dwell on what we just did; we think about what’s next.”
Mexico is undefeated in nine World Cup matches in this huge stadium, which welcomed 80,824 fans on Wednesday. El Tri has recorded only two defeats at Azteca, the most recent in a World Cup qualifier against Honduras on September 6, 2013.
Wednesday’s game included nods to Mexico’s past and future. Gilberto Mora, at 17, became the youngest Mexican player to start a World Cup. And 40-year-old goalkeeper Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa came on in the 77th minute, joining Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo as the only players to have appeared in six World Cups.
Mora said “this is like a dream come true after everything I’ve worked for.”
“Now we have tough opponents in front of us,” he added. “We will continue to work to stay on this path. We want to continue to progress because the Mexican national team can become champions.”
Mexico’s triumph, however, was marred by the return of homophobic chanting from fans, which has already led to fines and other sanctions against the football federation. The chant, a one-word insult, was heard near the end of the first half when Czech goalkeeper Matej Kovar executed a goal kick.
The Czech Republic was eliminated, finishing with one point from three games.
Mexico is undefeated in 11 matches since a friendly loss to Panama last November. And Aguirre made the most of his squad, using 25 of the 26 players in the tournament. Chávez was one of five starters Wednesday who did not start in the previous victory against South Korea.
“Twenty-five of the 26 played – it’s not a small detail – and it’s also not a small detail that everyone celebrates the goals,” Aguirre said.
Ochoa makes history with his likely farewell
Ochoa, who wears number 13, played the final 13 minutes of regulation, plus stoppage time, in what will likely be his final appearance for Mexico. He will turn 41 on July 13 and plans to retire from international competition after the World Cup.
“Life, football, had this farewell in store for me, to cap it all off in style. For my part, I left everything aside, I gave everything,” Ochoa said. “I leave with nothing because I put everything into my teams and the national team.”
He was a substitute at the 2006 and 2010 tournaments and started for Mexico in 2014, 2018 and 2022.
“I felt Memo had to play (but) for how long? I never knew until I said, ‘This is the time,'” Aguirre said. “These are coaching decisions, but it was a night for Mexico to honor their legend, Memo.”
Raul Rangel starts this year, replacing the injured Luis Ángel Malagón, who helped Mexico win the CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup last year. Malagón’s injury opened the door for Ochoa to return.
Ochoa became the oldest Mexican to compete in the World Cup. The previous record holder was Cuauhtémoc Blanco, who was 37 when he played in South Africa in 2014.
After the game, the veteran goalie kissed the goal post before kneeling and was hugged by the rest of the team.
“As for Memo’s appearance, we don’t know if he will say goodbye or not, but it was a nice tribute for his six World Cups,” Aguirre added. “He’s a legend, he’s Mexican.” ___
Associated Press reporting.
